Williams-Brice Stadium – Columbia, SC
Kickoff: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET
Line: Texas A&M -17.5, Total: 48.0

#9 Texas A&M will be looking to stay unbeaten when it visits South Carolina on Saturday.

Texas A&M has been one of the best teams in football, winning-and-covering in all four of its games on the year. The Aggies are excellent on both sides of the ball, as they have put up 43.0 PPG and allowed just 16.0 PPG. South Carolina, meanwhile, is struggling offensively, scoring just 14.3 PPG this season. This team is going to need to find a way to put up points or it is in danger of being blown out on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, a Will Muschamp-coached team just isn’t likely to light up the scoreboard. A&M has won each of the past two games played between these teams, and one of those wins was a 52-28 blowout in Columbia in 2014. It’s worth pointing out the fact that Texas A&M is a miserable 1-13 ATS when facing a team that averages 28 or less possession minutes per game since 1992. The Aggies also happen to be 0-7 ATS after gaining 225 or more rushing yards in three straight games since 1992.

Texas A&M has looked like one of the best teams in the nation and a lot of that has to do with the play of QB Trevor Knight (1,055 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT). Knight was run out of Oklahoma for poor play just two years ago and has come into his own under head coach Kevin Sumlin. In a huge meeting with Arkansas last week, Knight threw for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. He also rushed 10 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns as well. Look for Knight to use his legs once again in this one, as he has already rushed for five touchdowns on the year and the threat of him running has really opened up this offense. Defensively, DL Myles Garrett (11 tackles, 3.0 sacks) is going to terrorize this miserable South Carolina offense. Nobody in the country rushes the passer like Garrett and he should make sure that the Gamecocks are playing franticly all day on Saturday.

South Carolina is coming off of a game where it scored only 10 points against a lousy Kentucky team. The Gamecocks need to move the ball better and they need to do it fast, as they are at risk of really being blown out by the Aggies on Saturday. QB Brandon McIlwain (533 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) is the guy that needs to be on his game in this one. McIlwain has now had three games this season where he didn’t throw for a single touchdown and he’ll need to make sure he finds the end zone at least once on Saturday. The way to beat A&M is by going over the top and beating them downfield, so McIlwain will have to take some shots in this one. RB A.J. Turner (157 yards, 1 TD) rushed for the only touchdown South Carolina had against Kentucky and he too is going to need to make plays on Saturday. If Turner is effective up the middle then the Gamecocks just might be able to open up the passing game. Defensively, it’s important to know where Knight is at all times. He is at his best on broken plays and South Carolina can’t afford to let him beat them with his legs.